Training device for percussion musicians

ABSTRACT

A training and device for a percussion instrument comprising a guide means of at least one ramp forming a slide guide attached to the percussion instrument. The ramp guides the musician&#39;s sticks in a sliding movement to and from the diaphragm of the percussion instrument while freeing the musician from constant attention to the position of the sticks.

The present invention relates to a device seeking to facilitate thetraining of percussion musicians, and also to devices for applying saidprocess.

It may be recalled that percussion musicians are usually trained in themovement of beating the diaphragm of the instrument in a free movementof the wrist; this movement consists in opening and closing an angle ofa maximumum of 80° between the diaphragm of the instrument and the flankof the stick; the stick is gripped at one end in the hand, with thewrist as its axis of rotation; this movement must be made in anapproximately vertical plane. The freedom of the movement results ininaccurate movements and laborious progress, further increased by thephysical difficulties of the musician, who has to pay constant attentionto his movements.

It has been attempted to obviate the abovementioned difficulties bymeans of devices intended to immobilize the forearm by the use ofsplints (U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,307), or to limit the movability of thestick by articulating it to a fixed support (U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,471).These devices have provided only a partial solution of the problems oftraining a musician, and they entail beating conditions too differentfrom free beating.

The aim of the present invention is to provide means assisting thetraining of a percussion player, which entail a minimum of constraint inthe player's movements, while at the same time freeing him from the needfor constant attention to the position of the stick.

The process of the invention consists in general in guiding the player'ssticks in a sliding movement along one or more ramps suitably disposedabove the diaphragm of the instrument.

According to the present invention, furthermore, a device forming aguide means for the sticks of a percussion player in his beatingmovements is characterized in general in that it is composed of at leastone ramp forming a slide guide and of means for holding said ramp atleast in a substantially vertical position above the diaphragm.

The means for holding the ramp or ramps, or slide guide or slide guides,above the diaphragm may consist either of a tripod standing on theground or of a fastening means in form of a clip attachable to theperiphery of the instrument.

The holding and/or fastening means may be common to a pair of ramps orslide guides, or be intended for a single ramp or slide guide.

In a first embodiment the device forming the object of the invention ischaracterized in that it comprises two slide guides disposed in asubstantially vertical plane at right angles to the plane of thediaphragm of the percussion instrument. The user supports the right-handstick against the right-hand slide guide and the left-hand stick againstthe left-hand slide guide. Through the force of the wrists the sticksare moved downwards and upwards along a rectilinear path dictated by theslide guides. The player imitates perfectly his future movement bybeating the instrument on each downward movement of the stick.

In one form of construction of the device the bottom end of the slideguides is disposed a short distance, usually a few millimeters, from thediaphragm of the percussion instrument, in order not to distort thesound.

In another embodiment the slide guides are mounted on a supportstructure.

In yet another embodiment the slide guides are mounted on a swivel jointso as to be adjustable in position, said swivel joints being in turnfastened to the support structure.

In a different device according to this embodiment the swivel joints areselflocking, so that after adjustment of the slide guides they will beimmovable relative to the support.

In another embodiment the support structure is composed of anarticulated tube having a certain flexibility, thus enabling eachindividual player to adjust the desired distance between the slideguides an to position the sticks on the inside or the outside of theguide device.

In another embodiment the support structure is fastened by clipping tothe musical instrument. The clip is fixed on the rim serving to tensionthe diaphragm of the instrument.

In another embodiment the support structure is mounted on a tripod orthe like, such as is well known to instrumentalists, particularly topercussion players.

In a second, preferred embodiment each slide guide is composed of a pairof ramps parallel to and disposed at a distance from one anotherslightly greater than the diameter of the stick; in this embodiment eachramp, which forms the curved portion of a loop having approximately theshape of a quarter-circle, is fixed adjustably, in respect of directionand translatory movement, on a plate which in turn is mounted forvertical sliding on a clip adapted to be fixed to the rim of theinstrument.

The present invention will be better understood and details relating toit will emerge from the description given below of differentembodiments, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the tripod mounted device for internal use,

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the tripod mounted guide system forexternal use.

FIG. 3 shows in section the device clipped to the musical instrument,

FIG. 4 shows in perspective a device according to the second embodiment,

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate in side elevation, front elevation and planrespectively one of the slide guides of the preceding figure, and

FIG. 8 shows on a larger scale the fastening and adjustment means of thesecond embodiment.

In FIG. 1 the device for internal use shown comprises two slide guides 1whose height is of the order of thirty centimeters and which are mountedon selflocking swivel joints 2 fastened to a support 3 of deformabletube, fixed on a tripod 4 above a percussion instrument 5. The sticks 6slide along the guides through the force of the wrists 7.

The device for external use shown in FIG. 2 comprises two slide guides 1whose radius amount to fifteen millimeters, with a height of thirtycentimeters and which are mounted on selflocking swivel joints fastenedto a support 3 of rigid flexible tube fixed on a tripod 4 above apercussion instrument 5. The sticks 6 slide on the slide guides throughthe force of the wrists 7.

The device shown in FIG. 3 comprises a slide guide 1 mounted on aselflocking swivel joint 2 consisting of a ball 8 and adapted to bedismantled by means of a screw and nut system 9 clamped between thesupport 3 and a locks crew 10. The support 3 is held locked on the clipsystem by means of a screw 11 and is secured against rotation by a snug12. the frame 13 gives the member 15 rotational mobility with the aid ofa pin 16. Clamping on the rim 17 tensioning the diaphragm 18 of theinstrument 19 is achieved by means of a lock screw 14.

In FIGS. 4 to 7 guide means for a stick 6 consist of a pair of slideguides 20, 20', each of which is composed of a preferably metallic rodformed into a closed loop having substantially the shape of aquarter-circle with its radii; the parts 21 and 22 having substantiallythe shape of a quarter-circle form guide ramps between which the stickcan move; the part 23 forming a vertical radius of the loop rejoins thetop end of the part having the shape of a quarter-circle via ahairpin-shaped part 24; the part 25 forming a horizontal radius of theloop rejoins the bottom end of the part having the shape of aquarter-circle via a short hairpin-shaped part 26. Each loop is shapedsymmetrically to the other loop in relation to the plane 27 in which thestick moves.

The hairpin-shaped parts 24 are clamped by a pair of bars 28, 29. Thepurpose of this pair of the bars is on the one hand to maintain thespacing of the two ramps, but also to serve as a top stop for the stick;the bottom bar 28 will advantageously be covered with felt or elasticmaterial in order to damp the shock of the stick.

The horizontal branch 25 of each loop passes through the perforated headof a threaded bolt 31 bolted on a plate 32; the slackening of the nut 33makes it possible either to move the part 25 along its ais (arrow 34),or to pivot it in its plane (arrow 35). The bolt 31 can in addition bemoved laterally in an aperture 44 by way of which is passes through theplate.

The plate 32 is a Y-shaped member cut out 35 and having an inclinedextension 36, to the bottom face of which is fixed a clip intended toengage under the rim 38 of the percussion instrument (drum).

In FIG. 8 it can be seen that the extension 36 is bolted to a strip 37shaped as a hook 38 at the top, while the same bolt 42 serves to fix aleaf spring 39 under the strip 37; an aperture 40 in the strip makes itpossible to slide the extension 36 obliquely and to adjust the height ofthe slide guides fixed to the plates 32, while an aperture 41 in thespring make it possible to adjust the position of the latter along thestrip 37; the adjustment of the spring allows optimization of theclamping of the edge forming the tensioning rim 17 of the drum betweenthe spring and the hook 38; a screw 44 can apply pressure to the end ofthe spring in order to increase the clamping action.

Still referring to FIG. 8, 43 designates a sleeve adapted to be screwedonto the threaded end of the loop 25, thus enabling it to form a closedloop. It is also proposed to cover those parts 21 of the ramps whichhave the shape of an arc of a circle with a small tube, for example offlexible polyvinyl chloride.

A simplified training means, which is not shown in the drawings, couldconsist of a simple board in which two substantially vertical rods aremounted. It must also be understood that although particular embodimentsof the invention have been described and illustrated, the scope of theinvention is not limited to these embodiments, but that it extends toany means making it possible to guide the sticks above the drum by asliding movement.

I claim:
 1. A training device for training a percussion musician in theuse of a percussion instrument having sticks and a diaphragm, the devicecomprising:a percussion instrument having sticks and a diaphragm; andmeans of limiting the movement of the sticks, said means being composedof at least one slide guide disposed in a substantially vertical planeabove said diaphragm and along which said sticks freely slide.
 2. Atraining device as claimed in claim 1, in which each slide guidecomprises of a single ramp.
 3. A device as claimed in claim 1, in whicheach slide guide consists of a pair of ramps parallel and spaced apartby a distance slightly greater than each diameter of the stick.
 4. Adevice as claimed in claim 1, which in addition is provided with holdingmeans for fastening the slide guide to the instrument.
 5. A device asclaimed in claim 1, in which each slide guide is substantiallyrectilinear.
 6. A device as claimed in claim 3, in which each ramp ofthe pair of ramps forming a slide guide is roughly the shape of aquarter-circle.
 7. A device as claimed in claim 6, which furthercomprises a plate and clip assembly for fastening said ramps to theinstrument.
 8. A device as claimed in claim 6, which further comprises apair of bars for holding the ramps of each slide guide spaced apart andfor serving as a top stop for the sticks.